The Luminous Glow
by echgrl
Summary: "I didn't stop to turn around. I didn't stop to make sure that I was going the right way. I just took off. But I could hear some big, vicious animal following closely behind, not hesitating for a second. I turned my head as I was running to see what was following me and what I saw was impossible… and terrifying. What was chasing me was no wolf."
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! So I'm a huge fan of Teen Wolf and thought it would be fun to write about a girl being bitten by a werewolf. There will be appearances of many of the main characters, but not all of them will necessarily huge roles in this story. I'm not sure how long I'm planning to make this, but, if I get good feedback, I'll try to make it satisfying. **

**Also, I have other fanfiction stories if you want to check them out. None are Teen Wolf except this one, but I have one (that I need to update…) for Avatar, one crossover of Spiderman and Smallville, a few Danny Phantom ones, and one Spiderman one (that is probably the best one because it is complete and got a lot of good reviews). ANYWAY. Hope y'all enjoy! Can't wait for tomorrow night! -echgrl**

Introduction

The white circle hid behind black and gray curtains, the luminous glow illuminating the entire world, crickets humming, cicadas buzzing. The whole world sits still for one moment and silence fills up then the sound is restored and the sky is ablaze with the light of the moon once again. It's like the world is breathing slowly but surely. Then, in that one strange instant, something interrupts the cycle, a cry, a whisper, an unexpected scream. Then everything starts up again as if nothing has happened at all.

There are no wolves in California, so they say. But in Beacon Hills? Well, they _say_ that we don't have them either. But I've heard stories. And I've heard their cries. And I've even had the "luck" of crossing paths with one which dug its teeth into my flesh. It was that one cool October night in Beacon Hills when it happened. And it changed _everything_.

So tell me there's no such thing as wolves in California. Try to prove to me that that is not what I saw that night. I know what I saw, and nothing you say will change my mind. _Nothing_.

Chapter 1

I pulled on my new floral print dress and French braided my long curly blonde hair back. I slipped on some old brown hunting boots and grabbed my jean jacket.

I checked my phone to see if he had texted me back, saying when he would get to my house to pick me up, but he hadn't replied yet. My mom walked in while I finished putting on my makeup.

"This boy isn't going to know what hit him," she laughed. "You look beautiful."

I tucked a loose hair behind my ear and smiled. "Thanks Mom."

"Do you want to borrow my pearls?" She asked.

My eyes lightened up. "Really?"

She nodded and rushed over to her and Dad's room to pull out her antique but stunning pearl necklace. She came back and gestured for me to turn around. "Now, do _not_ lose these. Frank spent a fortune for these," she said as she clasped the necklace around my neck.

"Thank you so much Mom! I love you," I kissed her on the cheek.

She chuckled. "I love you too."

I checked my phone to see if he answered but he still hadn't. I frowned.

"He'll come. Don't worry," my mom assured me.

I nodded but had a feeling I was going to be stood up… again. But Michael is different. I mean, he seems different.

My friend Jordan texted me: GRACE. Is he there yet?

I sighed and texted her back: No…

My eyes were itchy because of my contacts so I decided to just wear my glasses. I took out my contacts which was stupid considering I had mascara on that was not waterproof, and it got all over my face and my eyes stung because it got in them. I scowled as I had to wipe off my blush, cover-up and foundation to remove the mascara stains, and then I even had to redo my mascara. And now my makeup was asymmetrical. UGH MAKEUP SUCKS. THIS IS WHY I NEVER WHERE ANY. I fixed it within the 30 minutes which Michael had not called or texted me. We were going to see a movie, one which would start in 10 minutes. I even called him a few times and he wouldn't answer. Where was he?

I slipped on my glasses as I scrambled downstairs, nearly tripping over myself, thinking maybe he had gotten there and I just hadn't heard the doorbell. Mom was in the kitchen, making dinner for herself. I walked back upstairs, disappointed.

I kept looking at my phone over and over for an hour of silence. That's when I _knew_ he wasn't coming.

"Mom?" I walked downstairs.

"You're still here? Honey, what's wrong?" She asked, sitting on the couch in the den and seeing that I was crying. "Come here."

I walked into her open arms and sat down, sobbing. "Why does this always happen to me?"

I felt her warm breath on my neck as she sighed softly. "They just aren't good enough for you."

I looked up at her feeling my mascara in my eyes and on my cheeks. "But why do they ask me out in the first place? Why bother if they are gonna bail on me at the last minute?"

My mom didn't answer. She just kept rubbing my arm and soothing me. A while later I told her I needed to get some fresh air. I walked outside in our backyard and took a walk into the woods. I called Jordan.

"He didn't come…" I said.

"He didn't come?! That jackass!"

"What do I do wrong? They ask me out, and then, they never show up. It's like I'm cursed or something."

Jordan seemed to be deep in thought because she was silent for a few minutes.

"Jordan?"

"Well, maybe… Remember that clingy boyfriend you had?"

"Nate?"

"Yeah. Well you guys went through a tough break-up. Maybe he's telling guys that ask you out not to date you. He had a huge problem with jealousy."

"You know, maybe you're right. But why would he do that?"

"I don't know… Maybe you could ask him. Tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night? What's happening tomorrow night?"

"There's a party! At Lydia's house."

"Lydia?"

"She's super popular. Really pretty. She's a real bitch too. You'll know her if you see her."

"Okay," I said, as I trudged deeper into the woods.

"So I'll see you there. And don't worry about this guy. He's just another idiot."

"Thanks, Jordan. See ya."

I pressed END on my phone and realized that I had wandered far deeper into the woods than I planned to go. So far that I didn't even recognize where I was. The sun had sunk beneath the horizon about half an hour ago, leaving a very faint glow in the sky, so faint that I had to squint to make out my surroundings. Thank God for iPhone flashlights. I turned my phone flashlight on, shining it on an animal. My heart skipped a beat, just before I realized it was just a little black cat. I let out a huge sigh of relief as it scampered away.

Cicadas and crickets started to buzz, and the chirps of birds slowly faded away as the sun's light completely went away. I saw the moon rising in the distance. It was nearly full.

The wind rustled through the leaves in the trees and I shivered. I got my compass app out and made my way toward the direction of my house. Suddenly, I heard movement behind me. I swiveled around, seeing the same black cat. I shrugged and turned back towards my goal. Then I heard a howl. My eyebrows furrowed because I remembered being told we have no wolves in California. The howl sounded kind of close too… I quickened my pace and prayed that it was some stray dog, however that howl sounded a lot different. I had heard wolves howl before when I visited my grandparents' home in Alaska. There's a certain distinction… It's as if they are calling their pack. I mean, I guess they are. But, if there are no wolves, then why would they…?

A growl interrupted my train of thought. And something told me that the cat could _not_ make that sound. I didn't stop to turn around. I didn't stop to make sure that I was going the right way. I just took off. But I could hear some big, vicious animal following closely behind, not hesitating for a second. I turned my head as I was running to see what was following me and what I saw was impossible… and terrifying. What was chasing me was no wolf. It was too big. But it wasn't a bear either. Its eyes glowed with red fury and it towered over me. I turned my head back sharply, and attempted to increase my speed but going faster was beyond my limit.

My body was getting worn out, and I felt my heart pounding in my chest like it would explode at any second. I tripped over a surface root, falling flat on my face. Dirt went into my mouth and my glasses split in the center. There was no time to lose. I got right back up, phone in my sweaty palm, and threw my glasses on the ground even though I couldn't really make out anything without them and started running again, but slowly realized that there was nothing following me anymore. There was complete silence. I let out a heavy sigh, relieved that it was all over. I picked up my glasses, laughing gently to myself about how freaked out I got and brushed it off as a hallucination.

But that was before I heard that same growl again. And that growl was right in my ear. I could feel the air the animal exhaled. I let out a huge scream, loud enough for people on the other side of the country to hear. I started running but the creature got to me before I even made two steps. It dragged my body with little effort and clawed at me. It scratched me all over and cut up my new dress and broke apart my mother's pearls. I cried as it ripped away at me. It felt like someone was peeling off a bunch band aids but 100 times more painful and the pain only worsened. But that wasn't near the worst pain I felt. The most piercing, intense pain was from the bite. The evil, menacing creature bit me twice: on my right shoulder and on my left hand. I screamed even louder than before. I had to get away. I ran and stumbled but, for some reason, the beast didn't follow. And it wasn't like before when it just came out of nowhere. This time I saw it run the opposite way. Like it had finished the job. But I thought the job was killing me at that point… Little did I know what the creature's true purpose was.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I got home, I rushed into the bathroom as quietly as I could. I turned on the bright fluorescent light and slipped off my jacket with effort, trying to keep myself from shaking. I lifted the sleeve of my dress to see the wound. Blood was dripping to the floor and the sink and had drenched my jacket and dress. I winced as I looked at my torn up hand, blood stained yet still bleeding profusely. I lightly covered both wounds with some medicine so that I – hopefully – wouldn't get some awful infection. I wrapped my hand in gauze but blood kept leaking through. I used up almost all the gauze before the leaking ceased. I covered my shoulder wound with a large bandage and didn't bother with the claw and scratch marks on the rest of my body.

As I wiped the blood off the floor and the sink, I shuddered to think of what would have happened if the beast hadn't stopped. What if it _killed_ me… I needed to count myself lucky. I popped in an Advil to reduce the aching pain.

I pulled on my robe and peep-toed to my room. I climbed into bed, feeling immediate comfort, though my hand and shoulder felt like a thousand needles were piercing into them. I heard my bedroom door squeak open, and became paralyzed with fear. What if the monster came back to finish

"Grace?" My mom whispered.

I turned my head to her. "Hey, Mom."

"Where have you been?"

I bit my lip. "Just out in the woods…"

"Are you okay?" She must have heard my voice crack.

"Yeah," I lied, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay…" Mom said, unconvinced.

"Goodnight," I told her.

"Goodnight. Sleep well." I heard each of her footsteps as she walked back to her room.

Sleeping well didn't happen. Not that I was really surprised. I kept having nightmares about the monster that almost killed me. I kept seeing its nasty red eyes and vicious claws and teeth. I kept feeling like it was all over and that I would surely die. I woke up in a cold sweat a few minutes before my alarm went off at 8:00 AM. I shrugged and got out of bed slowly. For some reason, the pain was very minimal. Almost like it had been weeks since I got attacked.

I went to my bathroom and realized that I slept with my makeup on. I looked like one of those zombie princesses you see in those movies that are meant to be scary but really just make you laugh. I threw water on my face and took a towel to get the makeup off. I dried my hands and prepared myself for the worst. I knew for sure I had to go to the hospital with injuries like the ones I got. I should've told my parents last night in case the bites worsened overnight.

I gently unraveled the gauze around my hand and saw the dried up blood which made me want to puke. When I got to the end, I closed my eyes, worried what I might see.

I opened my eyes.

_Nothing_. There was _nothing_. Not only that. The hand looked even better than before the bite. There wasn't even a _mark_. I held my left hand in my right and stared at it for a moment. I slowly turned my head to my shoulder. I peeled it off and, surely enough, nothing was there. I looked all over my body for the scratch and claw marks but they were gone. Had a dreamed this entire thing up?

I decided to ignore what happened and got ready to go over to Jordan's house.

She hugged me and welcomed me in.

"How have you been since last night?" She asked.

"Last night?" My thoughts instantly went back to the attack. I closed my eyes and plopped on her couch, feeling incredibly dizzy.

"Whoa. What happened to you?"

I thought of telling her but decided I didn't want to sound completely insane.

"Nothing. I just didn't sleep very well." _Not a complete lie…_

"I'm sorry. You still gonna come to Lydia's party?"

"I guess so."

She smiled. "Good! I think it'll be a lot of fun."

"Yeah, sure," I murmured, half-heartedly.

Jordan began to look worried. "You should go home and get some rest. We can hang out some other time." She rubbed my right shoulder. I shivered and brushed it off of me.

"I'm fine. Really. Let's just go to the mall. Okay? What's that smell?" I asked, suddenly something smelled extremely potent.

Jordan sniffed. "I don't smell anything…"

"It smells like," I sniffed again. "Peach mango lip gloss? You can't smell that?"

Jordan dug her hands in her jean pockets, then walked over to the bathroom and brought out the lip gloss. "This?" She asked, looking equally confused and freaked out.

I sniffed more. "Yes! That stuff is _so_ strong!"

Jordan raised a brow. "Okay… You sure you don't want to go back home and sleep?"

I shook my head. "Shopping is just what I need right now. A day without boys pissing me off."

Jordan laughed. "Okay, I'll drive."

When we got to the mall, _everything_ had a strong odor. I could smell the Hollister store from the opposite side of the mall, and, even though we weren't in that section of Dillard's, I could smell their perfumes so strongly that it made me want to barf. Heck, I could even smell the food court which made me completely aware of how hungry I was.

"Oh my God. I love this top!" Jordan picked out a white lacy top. She looked at the price tag and put it back on the hanging rack. "But I also love my money so…"

"Hey, maybe we should go get something to eat? The food court smells amazing."

Jordan gave me a look that read _Are you serious?_

"Sorry, I forgot to eat breakfast this morning."

"Um, okay, sure…"

Jordan kept giving me concerned looks as we walked to the food court. I made a noise of excitement looking at all the choices. I don't know what came over me. I was just _starving_. Food was literally the only thing I could think about.

"Hmm…" I looked around, craving meat. I walked over to a Chinese restaurant.

"Hi, I'd like to order beef in oyster sauce, ginger beef, Ma Po Tou Fu and Mu Shu Pork please."

The guy at the cash register had a horrified expression on his face. "Okay, your total is $61.50."

I got out my wallet and gave him my credit card. "Thank you!"

He still seemed incredibly terrified as he swiped my card. "No problem." He gave it back.

They gave me my food, and I happily went over to sit down at the table Jordan was sitting at.

She stared at me as I pulled out all four meals. "Um, Grace. Why –"

"I'm just _so_ hungry. And everything seems delicious."

I dug into my ginger beef and stuffed my face.

"Grace," she put a hand on mine as I put down my fork to get out my next meal. "This isn't healthy. I mean, all that crap for lunch? It's disgusting!"

I looked down at my plate still feeling emptiness in my stomach, but I knew she was right. Being this hungry… It wasn't normal.

I sighed. "You're right."

Jordan exhaled with relief.

I held out my Ma Po Tou Fu. "Do you want –"

"No."

"Okay then…"

"Just throw it out or something."

I shrugged as I threw out all of my food. All that good food and money gone to waste. My parents are going to kill me.

We shopped for about five hours, without me having any more strange occurrences. Until Jordan asked me, "Hey, what does this say?" about a tag on a shirt.

With little effort, I read it, even though the print was really small. "Dry clean only."

"Thanks! You glad you changed to contacts?"

I scratched my head. I wasn't wearing any contacts… Or glasses for the matter. But I didn't tell her that.

"Yeah, contacts are great," I lied, and then changed the subject. "Do you really think that Nate is coming to the party?"

"_Everyone_ is going to the party. He's gonna be there. And you can confront him and maybe he won't bother with your love life anymore."

That evening, I arrived at the party feeling on edge. I felt like adrenaline was being pumped into my veins as I walked into Lydia's house. The music was so loud I thought my eardrums would burst. A redhead welcomed me in, holding a tray of shrimp. I guessed that she was Lydia. She gave off a vibe of nervousness for some reason.

"Hey! Nice party!" I yelled over the loud music. She ignored me and propped the door open for other people to come through.

I saw Jordan talking to a bunch of people I had never seen before. I came up behind her and she introduced me to everyone. "Hey! You guys, this is Grace!" I could smell that she had been drinking.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you Grace!" A sweet brunette shook my hand. "I'm Kira."

"It's nice to meet you too!"

The others in the circle seemed distracted. They kept turning their heads as if they were paranoid.

"This is Scott and Stiles," Jordan told me.

The taller one looked over as if being taken out of a trance. He looked at me. "Oh! Hi!" He put out his hand. "I'm Stiles."

I shook it and smiled. His sweet brown eyes signaled to me that he was friendly. He was very attractive too. "Grace," I said shyly.

Scott nudged Stiles who raised a brow humorously. He whispered something to him, but I heard it loud and clear. "I think he's here."

Scott, Stiles, and Kira exchanged glances with each other with unease. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

Scott looked at me for the first time and, somehow, it felt like I knew him, yet I was sure I never met him. I think he felt it too, but he was too distracted to make anything of it. "Everything's fine. Sorry, we have to go."

All three of them walked away. Jordan and I looked at one another. "That was weird," I said.

Jordan sighed. "Tell me about it. Look, there's Nate! Here's your chance."

I turned my head reluctantly, seeing a tall, brown-haired jackass. Just the sight of him was enough to make my heart start beating twice its normal speed.

"Do I have to?"

"You have to stand up for yourself," Jordan urged me. "Come on, the guy's a complete jerk. If he's still trying to mess up your life, then you need to do something about it."

I breathed in deeply before walking up to him. "Hey Nate. Can we talk -" I looked around at his friends, faltering for a minute, then firmly, glaring at his green eyes, added, "_Privately_?"

He peered down at me with interested eyes, but a smug smirk that pissed me off. "Of course."

I led him up the stairs into the first bedroom I could find. I closed the door.

"What is it, babe?" He said, gaining up on me.

I backed away. "I'm not here to hook up with you, Nate. I'm here to talk to you about what you've been doing."

He snickered. "What have I been doing? We haven't talked in months-"

"I know that you've been saying things about me. I don't know what you're saying, but I know that you're trying to turn guys off," I interrupted.

"Don't blame me for guys not liking you."

I crossed my arms out in front of me. "I _know_ it's you."

"So what are you gonna do about it?" He challenged.

"I just wanted to ask you to stay out of my life. We broke up 5 months ago. Get over it."

"No, _you_ did."

"What?"

"You broke up with me."

"Yeah, because you wanted to have sex even though I wasn't ready."

"Well, are you ready now?" He started walking over to me as he took off his jacket.

My eyes widened, incredulously. "No! God, Nate, you're such an ass." He got closer to me. Too close for comfort. Now I was getting mad. "Stay away from me."

"Or what?"

He pinned me against the wall and started kissing me all over my neck. My wrists were locked under his hands as I struggled to break away. With one of my feet, I kicked him in the shin. He keeled over.

"Jeez!" He exclaimed.

I made a sprint to the door, but he grabbed my heel and I fell over onto my face.

He got back on his feet and grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him. He threw me on the bed. I screamed as he took my shirt off and kissed me more. I slapped him, scratching his face. He wiped his cheek and yelled when he saw blood. "Dammit! What the -?" He looked at me and immediately began hyperventilating like I was the most frightening being he had ever seen. He fell back to the floor.

"Please. Please, please, please," he cried. "Don't hurt me."

By that point, I had lost control and something in me had the urge to kill. Seeing him cry like that sent a thrill through me. I arose from the bed slowly and turned my head to the vanity. My eyes were golden and my whole face looked weird and different. Not to mention I had fangs and claws. I was menacing. I was terrified of _myself_. And I couldn't control what I did next.

I turned back to Nate and picked him up easily and jumped out of the window with him. From there, I dragged him into the woods and that was all I remembered.

**Thank you for reading! Please review if you have time! Enjoy your day! **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I woke up the next day feeling weak and tired. I realized that I was still wearing my dress from last night. I also noticed dirt was caked under my finger nails. I looked at my arms and legs, and they were coated with dirt too.

I couldn't remember what had happened last night. In fact, I couldn't remember coming back home.

The blinds on my window shook, making my heart race. I got out of my bed and noticed that my window was wide open and there were long scratches along my wall by the window pane as if some caged animal had been trying to get out… Or (more likely) get in…

I swallowed slowly remembering one of my last memories from last night. _I_ looked like an animal. Not a human being; an actual monster. Almost as frightening as the one that attacked me the other night…but definitely not as large and intimidating.

_What did I do to Nate? _My mind flooded with scary possibilities, all of them ending in death.

My mom rushed into my room. "Grace?... OH MY GOD! GRACE!" She put a hand to her mouth.

Her horrified expression made my insides cringe. I swiveled to my mirror, expecting the worst, but seeing that I was myself again.

Holding my breath, I turned to my mom. "Is something wrong?"

"Your room looks terrible! And what happened to you? You look like you've been through hell and back."

I exhaled. "I just…" I tried to think of something that would make sense, but nothing really came to mind.

My mom shrugged. "Fine, tell me later. I have to go work, or I'll be late for my meeting."

She walked over to me to give me a hug but thought against it.

"You really should take a shower, Grace." She sighed, looking up and down at my torn-up dress and shaking her head. "I love you, but…"

"Okay, I get it. I'll take one as soon as you leave."

She nodded satisfied and walked out, then added. "And don't be late for school!"

"I won't!" I yelled back.

_Well, everything seems normal, _I thought to myself. Those were words I would _never_ think again. _Ever_.

I turned on the shower and got out my clothes and my bath towel. I picked up my remote to turn on the news.

"…authorities say they are still looking. If you have seen this boy or have any idea where he could be, please contact this number immediately…"

I bit my lip so hard that it bled. Nate's picture was up on the TV… It said that he is _missing_. I put a hand to my mouth. My chest felt heavy and my whole body was shaking. Did I – did I _kill him_? _No_, there was no way. I wasn't capable of killing someone.

I guiltily took my clothes off and climbed into the shower.

At school, everyone was staring at me. I felt so exposed. So awkward. I just wanted to crawl into a corner until the bell rang. I heard a bunch of different whispers throughout the crowd of people, _Oh my God. Wasn't that her ex? I think I heard someone say she was the last person to be with him last night. Do you think she killed him? OMG, that would be so messed up. I bet she doesn't even care if he died. Didn't she dump him because she wanted to be a virgin._

There's nothing worse than knowing that _everyone_ is talking about you. I had to push through a bunch of whisperers to get to my locker. They all kept staring at me.

"Hey idiots, why don't you leave her alone?" I heard Jordan's voice behind me. They all scattered.

She leaned against the locker next to me, her straight brown over one shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. Don't let them bother you."

I pierced my lips and closed my eyes.

She touched my shoulder. "Hey, seriously Grace, it's fine. I believe you didn't do anything. Wait, you didn't, right?"

I looked at her with big, scared eyes.

"_Grace_," she said, more serious than she had ever been, eyes intently staring at me.

I shook my head. "I don't know. I don't remember."

"Did – did he hurt you?"

"No, no, I mean, he tried to rape me and then I…"

Jordan tightened her grip on my shoulder. "He tried to rape you?"

I nodded, and then shook my head. "I didn't want to hurt him. It just _happened_."

Her eyes widened. "Did you… did you kill him?" Her voice cracked.

"I don't know."

"Okay, this is bad… How do you not remember? Were you drinking? Maybe someone knocked you out?"

"I remember taking him into the woods. That's all I remember. And then I woke this morning, in my bed, still wearing what I wore last night." I left out the 'small' details about me having fangs and claws and not looking… human.

Jordan nodded. "Okay… so maybe someone knocked you out when you took him into the woods. Wait, why did you take him into the woods? Was he conscious?"

"I don't know. Something just came over me. And yes; he was conscious."

"How did you… Never mind. Did you see anyone else?"

I shook my head. Jordan's mouth twitched as she tried to cover all the possibilities.

"There had to be someone else."

I frowned. "What if there wasn't? _What if I killed him_?"

"You didn't. Stop. You're gonna have a mental breakdown, if you don't calm down."

It was too late. My pulse was heightening at an alarming rate, and I felt sweat trickling down my back. I bent over feeling sick to my stomach. I dropped all of my books and rushed to the nearest restroom. I sprinted into a stall and closed it behind me, forgetting to lock it. I felt my fangs growing in my mouth and cried. Then I looked down at my shaking hands and watched in horror as my nails formed into claws and lengthened. I wanted to scream but held it back as much as I could.

"Grace! Grace?!" I heard Jordan come in.

"Jordan, get out!" I bellowed.

"Grace, what is wrong? Calm down."

"I can't! I can't calm down!" I cried.

I somehow heard her slow and steady heartbeat.

"Jordan, you have to go. I don't know what I'm about to do, but I know it's nothing good."

"Grace, why are you freaking out so much? You didn't kill him."

"But I think – I really think that I might have."

"How? Did you have a gun? A knife?"

"I wouldn't need one," I said slowly.

There was a long silence.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," I took a deep breath. "I mean that something is happening to me. And I don't know why or even how but it's not normal."

More silence.

"If this is some mental issue–"

"It's not mental."

"Are you sick?"

"No."

"I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong with you."

"I'm a monster! That's what is wrong."

"So it _is_ mental."

"No. I mean, maybe it is messing with my mind but it's real. That night when that guy stood me up I went into the woods. I wandered in farther than I planned to and tried to find a way out, but then, something attacked me. It scratched me, it tore up my clothes, and it bit me twice. The next day, the wounds were gone. Didn't even leave a scar. My senses are now heightened; I can hear things louder, smell things better, I can see perfectly without any glasses or contacts. I think – I'm almost positive that I…" I trailed off, unwilling to finish what I was about to say.

Jordan's footsteps advanced to my stall. She opened the door. She wasn't prepared for what she saw. She staggered backwards when she saw my eyes and my fangs. She seemed even more frightened when she saw my claws.

She shook her head. "No no no no no… You are not – This is not…" She turned away and put a hand over her mouth deep in thought.

"No one can know this, Jordan. You can't tell _anyone_."

She swiveled around. "What would I tell? No one would believe me. Besides, you're my best friend. It's not like I would anyway. But we have to get you back to normal, and you have to keep your emotions in check. I won't have my best friend go all werewolf in front of everyone."

"Werewolf?" I choked.

Jordan shrugged. "What else could you be?"

I didn't answer that question. It was too weird. I knew something for sure: _I'm a total, absolute freak._ "How are you so cool about all of this?"

"I'm not. I'm totally freaking out on the inside," Jordan replied softly.

"Well, do you think I killed Nate?"

Jordan turned away again. "We can't know for sure. Look, you just need to change back to yourself so we can get through the school day."

As if on cue, the bell rang, and I thanked God that my best friend wasn't as freaked out as I was (or at least she didn't show it as much…).


End file.
